Vehicle wheel



Apr'il 1, 1924.- 1,488,778

' vJ. L. COHEN VEHICLE WHEEL Filed-March 28. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet l ,4 TTORNEY J. L. COHEN VEHICLE WHEEL April 1, 1.924;

Filed March 28, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 .4 TTUHNEY April 1, 1924. 1,488,778

v J. l.. COHEN VEHICLE WHEEL Filed March 28. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOI? *n JasgvaL'aen *"cf Arm/mfr v vApril 1, 1924. 1,488,778

J. L. COHEN VEHICLE WHEEL Filed March 2s, 1922 s sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOH April 1, 1924; f

J. L. COHEN l VEHICLE WHEEL Filed March 2a. i922 NVE/WOR l 'ATTO NEY- Patented Apr. l., 1924.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. COHEN, OIF NEW YORK, N. Y.

VEHICLEv WHEEL.

Application led March 28, 1922. Serial No. 547,562.

To aZZwLom t may concer/n.'

Be it known that I, JOSEPH L. COHEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Iniprovements in Vehicle Vheels, of which the following is a specifica-tion.

This invention relates to vehicle wheels and particularly to wheels designed for use on motor vehicles.

It is an object of the invention to improve wheels of the type comprising sets of resilient spoke elements in various respects, including the provision of discs covering the space between the felly and the hub so as to conceal the spoke elements from view and simple and eii'e'ctive means for securing the inner and outer ends of the elements to the hub and felly respectively.

To this end an important feature of the invention resides in the provision of discs carried by the felly `on the front and rear sides of the wheel and movable with the folly eccentrically of the hub upon yielding of the resilient spoke elements. The invention, however, contemplates the provision of a single disc only7 located either on the front or rear side of the wheel, as may be desired.

A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of a fiange at the rear end of the hub, and means for securing the inner ends of the spoke elements to a sleeve fitted on the hub and provided at its rear end with a flange spaced from the flange of the hub to provide a space between them in which the inner edge of the discy at the rear side of the wheel is received.

in accordance with a still further feature of the invention, a ring is mounted on the sleeve forwardly of the means for connecting` the inner ends of the spoke elements thereto, and the sleeve is provided with a shoulder against which abuts a second ring in spaced relation to the first to provide a groove for receiving the inner edge of the disc on the frontside of the wheel.

Still otherobjects and features of the invention will appear as the description proceeds and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings in which like reference numerals designate like parts in the various views:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation,

partly broken away, of a wheel constructed i in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an edgewise view partly in section along the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an edgewise view partly broken away substantialy along the line 3-3 of elements arranged onk the front side of thev Wheel;

Fig. 6 illustrates another of the resilient spoke elements;

Fig. T is a detail view of one of the yokes which-connect the inner ends of the spoke element-s Ito the hub;

Fig. 8 is a det-ail view of the block whichV secures the ends of the spoke elements in the yoke;

Fig. 9 is a view partly in perspective and partly in transverse section of the main section of the wheel rim;

Fig. 10 is a like view of the demountable section of the rim;

Fig. 11 is a like view of the felly;

Fig. 12 is adetail view of the yokes connecting the outer ends of the spoke elements to the felly;

Fig. 13 is a detail view of the block whereby1 the spoke element-s are secured in the yo re; f

Fig. 1st is a view ofthe form of the invention shown in Fig. 1, partly broken away substantially along the line 14.-14 of said figure; f

Fig. 15 is a view corresponding with the left hand side of Fig. 14 but showing a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 16 is another view of such modified form of the invention looking from the right in Fig. 15. y

The illustrated construction comprises a hub 2 and a felly l connected by sets 6 of resilient spoke elements. The hub 2 is formed at its rear end with a flange 7, and mounted on the hub 2 forwardly of the flange 7 is a sleeve 8' formed at its rear end with a flange 10 spaced from the flange 7 of the hub 2 to provide a groove 12. The sleeve 8 is connected to the hub 2 for rotation therewith by keys 14 on the hub fitting into correspondingly shaped channels in the inp niente comprises a pair of ner surface of the rear end of the sleeve. Preferably, and as shown, a washer 16 is interposed between the rear endV of the sleeve 8- andthe forward surface of the hub flange 7.

Esch of the sets 6 of resilient spoke eleoppositely carved metal strips 18 arranged with their tra-nssections extending substantially at right angles to the plane of the whe el and being connected at their inner ends to the sleeve 8 by yokes 2O and blocks 22. The -vokes V20 are substantially U-shaped in sections transverse to the hub 2 and the sleeve 8, but have their sides extending outwardly from theirbase portions at an angle seinewhat'greaterthan a right angle. rlhe yokes 20 are grouped around the periphery of the sleeve Swith the sices of each of the yokes in contact witlrthe adjacent sides of the contiguous yokes,a11d the.V base portionsof the yokesare curved in sections transverse to the hub to contorni with the peripheral curvature of the sleeve 8. lilith this con` struction, the'yokes 2O are caused to sustain each other against movement angularly en the sleeve 7 and are caused to lit closely against the periphery of the sleeve, as well as against aeh other.

The sleeve 8 is forined on its inner surface with an annular groove 2li which re eeives the heads of screw bolts 26 passing through the sleeve 8 and through openings 28in the base portions of the yokes 20 and threaded into the blocks 22. rlhe sleeve 8 is forined at. its front end with a reduced portion 30 which terminates in a shoulder 82, and the outer face of' the sleeve is Vprovided with notches extending rearwardly from said shoulder. A ring` 36 is iitted over the sleeve 8 forwardly of the yokes 2O and is provided with inwardly Xtending keyportions corresponding in shape to the notches 84e and received therein toV cause the ring 36 to rotate with the sleeve 8 and the hub 2. ,The blocks 22 are secured in place not only bythe screw bolts 26, but also by screws 88 and l() inounted in the flange l0 of the sleeve 8 and the ring 36 respectively 'and threaded into the ends of the blocks, and the resilient strips 18 of each set of spoke elements are connected at their inner ends to the sides of thc yoke 2O and the block 22by screws 42 passing through the sides of the yoke and openings 44e adjacent to the inner ends of the strips and threaded into the block 22. The heads of the screws il2 are countersunk below the outer surfaces of the sides of the yokes 2O in order to enable the sides of the yoke to closely engage each other as hereinbefore described.

Fitted Vupon the reduced portion 30 of the sleeve 8 is the base flange 46 of a ring 5178 spaced frein the ring 36 to provide a groove between them. The ring 48 is Leser/'7e mounted in place on the hub 2 by a hub cap 52 threaded on the front end of the hub. The purposeof the groove 50, as well as of the groove l2, will fully appear hereinafter.

The felly el ol. the wlieel is substantially 'il-shaped in transverse section and coin prises a. peripheral portion and inwardlyextending front and rear flanges 56 and 58 respectively. The outer ends of the strips 18 of each ot' the sets 6 of resilient spoke eleinents are connected te a yoke 60.A The yokes 60 are siniilar to the yokes 2O at the inner ends of the spoke elements except that the outer surfaces of their base portions, instead of being concave, are convex to conforni with the inner surface of the felly fr. A block 62 which, like the blocks 22, hereinbefore described, inay be composed of wood or other suitable material, is inserted into each of the yokes 60 and the outer ends of the strip elements 18 are interposed between the inner surfaces of the sides of the yoke and the sides of the block, Bolts 6l passing through openings 66, 68i and 70 in the felly, yoke and block 62 respectively, secure the yoke and block tothe telly and maintain the block with its sides pressed against the outer ends of the strips 18. The strips 18 at their outer ends are secured to the yokes 60 not only by pressure of the blocks 62 upon thein, but also by screwsV 7l, the heads of which are received in channels "2 J' A in i'ornied inthe sides of the blocks 62, and the yoke 60 and block of each set of spoke elements are further maintained against displacement relatively to the felly a by a bolt 73 passing through the flanges 56 and'58 of the felly and openings Tl in the block.y `W ith this construction, it will be manifest that the outer ends of the strip elements V18 are positively fixed to the. felly l in a inani'ier such as to enable thein to sustain all strains to which they niay beV sub1 jected in the use of the wheel. i

Each el? the sets 6 of spoke elements corn-y prises, in addition to a pair of spokeelements 18, a third spoke element 75 in the forni of a resilient metal strip located at the front side of the wheel and having its transverse sections arranged substantially in the plane of the wheel. The strip 75 of each set of spoke elements is received at its outer end between the front ends of the yoke 6() and block 62, on the one hand, and the inner surface of the front flange 56 of the telly on the other. Preferably, and as shown, washers 77 are also arranged on each side of the outer end of the strip 75, and the washers and the strip are provided with openings 76 arranged to receive the bolt 73. At its inner end the strip 7 5 is provided with an opening 78 to receive the, screw 40 and is fitted between the front ends of the yoke 20 and the block 22, on the onehand,

and the rin 36 onv the other. The: spoke element 7 5 1s curved rearwardly intermediate of its ends so that the main' body of the strip is disposed between the strips 18.

The peripheral portion of the felly 4 is formed with an outwardly inclined portion 79, and the rear flange 58 of the felly is extended outwardly to a greater extent than the front flange 56 to connect with the outwardly inclined portion 7 9, thereby forming a bead on the rear side of the felly 4. The main section 81 of the rim` of the wheelis formed at its rear edge with an outwardly extending' flange 82 which is concaved on its rear surface, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and said section is formed at its front edge with an inwardly extending bead 84. The bead 84 and rear edge of the main section 81 of the rim are arranged to engage the outer surface of the felly 4 adjacent to the base of the front iange 56 and the apex of the bead 80 respectively, and the degree of inward extension of the bead 84 from the main body of the rim is substantially equal to the extent of outward projection of the bead 80 from the felly 4, so that the main body of the section 81 is disposed parallel to the main body of the peripheral portion 0f the felly. This construction enables the rim of the wheel to be firmly supported on the felly, and at the same tinie provides an annular space 86 between such parts for receiving the heads 88 of the bolts 64 by which the yokes 60 and blocks 62 are secured to the felly. The section 81 of the rim is formed on its front edge with a vertically disposed rib forming part of the bead 84, and the upper surface of the bead yis substantially V-shaped to receive the correspondingly shaped inner edge of the demountable section 92 of the rim. In order to enable the section 92 to be readily disengaged from the main section 81, it is split as indicated at 94- (Fig. 1), and a right and left screw 96 is threaded in the ends of the section 92. This construction enables the section .92 to be readily expanded radially whereupon it can be easily removed from the wheel.

Secured to the rear side of the wheel and covering the space between the hub y2 and the felly 4, is a guard 98 in the forni of a dish-shaped disc, the rear face of which is concave. The disc 98vhas its outer rim portion 100 engagedy against the outer surface of the flange 58 of the felly 4, and the outer edge portion 102 of the disc is curved to conform with the outer surface of the bead 80 ofthe felly. The edge face of the disc 98 is extended inwardly from the outer surface of the flange 58 of the felly and is constructed to abut closely against the rear edge of the main section 81 of the rim of the wheel at the base of the rearwardly extending fiange 82. Located on the outer side of therim portion 100 of the disc 98 is' an annular ring 104, the outer edge portion of which is Shaped conformably with the outer edge portion 102 of the disc. The edge face of the ring 104 abuts against the base of the flange 82 of the rim of the wheel outwardly of the edge face of the disc. The ring 104 and the rim portion 100 of the disc 98 are formed with openings aligning with the openings of the flanges 56 and 58 of the felly 4, andy in the assembled wheel the disc 98 and ring 104 are rigidly secured to the felly between the heads of the bolts 73 and f its outer iange 58.

The disc guard 99 at the front side of the wheel is also dish-shaped and is extended forwardly from its substantially plane edge portion away from the spoke elements of the wheel so as to present a convex surface on its front side. The outer edge portion of the front guard 99 engages against the outer surface of the front flange 56l on the felly 4 and the outer edge of the disc 99 is arranged substantially in alignment with the peripheral portion of the felly. The bolts 73 pass through aligned openings in the discs 99V andv also through the base portions of cleats 108, the outer ends of which are curved as shown at so as to lit closely against both the front and outer surfaces. of the vertical rib on the main section 81 of the wheel rim andV against the front surface of the demountable section 92` of the rim. lt will bemanifest that with this construction, the guards 98 and 99 are not only secured rigidly in position on the felly 4 but that the rim of the wheel is also positively secured against accidental displacement on the felly. The inner edges of the discs 98 and 99 are received in the grooves 12 and 50 respectively of the hub assembly and are reinforced by rings 112, the combined thicku ness of the discs and the rings on their inner edges being slightly less than the diinension axially of the hub 2 of the grooves 12 and 50 respectively, so as toenable the discs to move freely in the grooves. At the same time, however, the reinforced inner edge portions of the discs are arranged in sufficiently close engagement with the walls of the grooves to prevent the entrance of dirt into them. The reinforcing rings 112 on the discs 98 and 99 are preferably roundd at their outer edges as shown at 114 to impart an attractive appearance to the wheel.

It will be understool from the foregoing that the discs 98v and 99 effectively prevent fouling ofv the spoke elements or of their connections to the felly 4 and hub 2 by dirt, and that the guards may move freely with the felly 4 eccentrically of the hub so as to present noI obstruction whatever to the action of the resilient spoke elements in absorbing the shocks to which the wheelV is sub jected'.

f addition al ln the torm lot the invention shown in Figs. 15 and 16, an annular ring 108 is employed in place ot the cleats 108 tor maintaining the rini ot the wheel against displacement on, the telly. rlhe ring 108 is constructed in transverse section analogously to the cleats 168 and serves in the saine ett'ective manner to maintain the parts in their properly assembled relations.

Having tully described the invention what is claimed is: e

1. In a vehicle wheel, a hub, a telly, a plurality ot sets ot resilient spoke elements extending radially between the hub and telly and each comprising a pair ot resilient elements extending radially between the huh and telly in the plane ot the wheel, and a third resilient spoke element disposed radially ot the wheel at one side thereot and bowed inwardly between said tirst named spoke elements.

ln a vehicle wheel, a hub, a telly, a plurality ot sets ot resilient spoke elements connecting the hub to the telly andv each comprising a pair ot oppositely related resilient elements ext-ending radially ot the wheel and tiXed at their ends to the hub and telly respectively, and a third resilient spoke element arranged at one side ot the wheel and tiXed at its ends to the hub and telly thereot .and bowed inwardly between said iirst named spoke elements.

3. In a vehicle wheel, a hub, a telly, a plurality ot resilient spoke elements eX- tending radially between the hub and telly, said telly being ot channel torni in crosssection, radially movable sheet metal discs at the inner and outer sides ot the Wheel enclosing sai-d sets ot spoke elements, and means tor confining the outer ends ot the spoke element-s in the channel ot said telly, said means including spacing blocks disposed between the ends ot the spoke elements in each set. and a common means tor rigidly ixing said spacing bloc-hs and the sheet metal discs to said telly.

Ll. ln arrvehic'le wheel, a hub, a telly, a plurality ot resilient spoke elements extending radially between the hub and telly, said telly being ot channel torin in crosssection, radially movable sheet metal discs atthe inner and outer sides ot the wheel enclosing said sets ot spoke elements, and means tor coniining the outer ends ot the spoke elements in the channel ot said telly, said means including spacing blocks disposed between the ends ot the spoke elements in each set, means tor rigidly securing each ot said spacing blocks to the wheel telly, and bolts extending transversely through said spacing blocks and securing the sheet metal dises to the opposite sides ot the wheel telly.

5. In a vehicle wheel, a hub, a telly, a plurality ot sets ot resilient spoke elements connecting the hub to the telly, each ot said sets comprising a pair ot resilient elements arranged in oppositely curved relation and a third element in the torni ot a resilient strip disposed at the outer side ot the firstnientioned elements and extending therebetween radially ot the wheel and a disc covering the space between the huh and the telly on such side ot the wheel.

6. In a vehicle wheel, a. hub, a telly, a plurality ot sets ot resilient spoke elements connecting 'the hub to the telly, each ot said sets comprising a pair ot resilient strips extending trom the hub to the telly in oppositely curved relation and means tor securing said strips to the huh and telly, coniprising yokes carried by 'said last-mentioned parts and with which the ends ot said strips are engaged, and blocks insertable into the yolres upon the end portions ot the. strips.

7. In a vehicle wheel, a huh, a telly, a plurality ot sets ot resilient spoke elements connected at one ot their ends to the telly and means tor securing the other ends ot the spoke element-s to the hub, comprising a sleeve constructed to i'it over the hub and having' a iiange at its rear'end, yolzes mounted on the sleeve torwardly ot said flange adapted to receive the inner ends ot the spoke elements, blocks insertable into the yokes, a ring fitted upon the sleeve torwa-rdly otthe yolres and means tor securing the yolres, spoke elements and blocks in.

position, comprising screws mounted in said iiange and said ring and threaded into the blocks.

8. ln a vehicle wheel, a hub, a telly, a plurality ot sets ot resilient spoke element-s connected at one ot their ends to the telly and ine-ans tor securing the other ends ot the spoke elements to the hub, comprising a sleeve ou the hub -tornied with an annular groove in,V its inner surtace and having a flange at its rear end, means tor securing the sleeve to the hub tor rotation therewith. substantially U-shaped yoles arranged around the sleeve torwardly ot the flange, each ot said yolres having its sides in substantial contact with the sides ot adjacent yoltes, blocks insertableinto the yol'zes, a ring fitted upon the sleeve torwardly ot the yolres, means tor securing the spoke elements to the yolres and blocks comprising screws mounted in the sides ot the yokes and having their heads countersunlr below their outer surtaces, and means tor securing each ot the yolfes and blocks to the sleeve comprisino screws mounted in said flange and said ringr and threaded into the ends ot the blocks and a screw having its head contained Vin the groove ot said sleeve and eX- tending through lthe base ot the yoke'into the blocks.

9. In a vehicle wheel, a hub having a, flange at its rear end, a telly, a plurality of sets of resilient spoke elements connected at one of their ends to the felly, a sleeve on the hub provided with a forwardly faeing shoulder, means for securing the other ends of the spoke elements to said sleeve, a ring located on the sleeve forwardly of said means, said securing means including a part retaining said ring` in iixed relation to the sleeve, a second ring mounted on the 10 sleeve in engagement with said shoulder and spaced from the first-mentioned ring to provide a groove between them, and a dise secured to the felly at the front side of the wheel and having its inner edge eX- tending into said groove.

ln testimony that l claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name hereunder.

JOSEPH L. COHEN. 

